Trip #4 - Camping with Papa Ron!

Perry Landing Family Campground - Site #32

Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures of our camp set-up. Shan took this pic of the fire,
and you can somewhat see the camp in the background.

We had planned on one last long weekend back at Slough Creek. Thanks to our hard-working congressmen (if only you could hear the sarcasm in my voice), Slough Creek was closed. We didn't realize this until we picked up our camper from storage. However, our storage facility also has a little campground. We didn't think much of the campground at first glance, but it seemed like our best option.

We drove to the back of the property and picked out a spot. The first good news was that the campground had full hook-ups. We hadn't stayed anywhere with full hook-ups yet, so this was quite a treat. I could run the water as long as I wanted without having to worry about tanks filling up. Woo-hoo!

I had texted Papa Ron to let him know that we were going to camp this weekend - rain seemed to be holding off until Monday. Shortly after we were set up, Papa Ron called to let us know that he was on his way. About half an hour later, Papa pulled up in his 31 foot Airstream and parked right next to us. This was going to be fun!

We started off with a hike to go see the small pond the owners had told us about.

We were in for our second piece of good news. The little pond was beautiful.

It had a small dock to sit on and plenty of mud and frogs for the kids. Yes, they were a muddy mess. Camping is dirty business.

Back at the campsite, the kids enjoyed swinging on a tire swing. Daddy and Papa Ron spent much time pushing kids on the swing.

We ate lots of potato chips, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Typical camping food. Papa Ron and Miss Aine enjoyed a grilled rib-eye steak, baked potatoes, and green beans. It was followed by a freshly baked banana bread from Papa Ron. Yeah - I need to step up my camping food repertoire. It also didn't help that I forgot the graham crackers for smores. :(

The first night we failed to take into account just how cold it was going to get. We froze our butts off that night. The second night we wizened up and turned on our furnace. It ran beautifully and kept us all comfortable. The kids would wake up, get dressed, and head over to Papa Ron's camper for some hot chocolate each morning.

We went for a midnight hike the first night. We followed the path down towards the pond and were able to spotlight a couple of deer. The owners were also burning out stumps, so we also enjoyed some small bonfires. We found ourselves happily surprised with the campground. Plenty of room to hike and explore!

Just for the record, I got my camping nap. Love it! Funny story - Papa Ron was surprised when we told him we were headed to bed at 9:30 the first night. He thought it was too early. The second night, at 8:30, Papa Ron told us he was tired and going to bed. Yep - kids will wear you out! (Although, I wouldn't be surprised if he secretly just wanted to watch some baseball in peace!)

Aine was in a bad mood the first evening. Aidan and Kavi made this sign with rocks, sticks, and other finds from around the campground. It says i (heart) AiNE. It melts this Mommy's heart.

Papa Ron's trailer is REALLY nice. New carpeting, new hardwood floors, and new leather recliners. By the first night, he'd already trained the kids to yell "Wipe your feet" before they went into his camper. Remember earlier when I said camping was messy business? Apparently it's only messy business with kids. Haha! You guessed it! There was mud on Papa's new carpet, new floors, and new recliners.

The worst part of the weekend was winterizing our camper. Tiny Tina has been put up for the winter. So sad. To keep the blues away, I'm already planning next year's trips. Shan keeps reminding me that next year we will get to enjoy camping all season long - not just the tail end. Despite the winterizing being the worst part, it was also fairly painless. Again, I'm so pleased with how easy they've made taking care of your camper. In no time flat, Shan had the plumbing cleared and pumped full of antifreeze.

Shan's set-up for winterizing the camper. He has everything
organized in the green bins - it's awesome!

We'll be back next week to move the camper and boat into their new indoor storage. The door will be installed on Monday. The owners, Lori and Kenny, have been wonderful!

 Until next camping season. *sniff*